


Familiar Debate

by Meddow



Category: Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-08-25
Updated: 2006-08-25
Packaged: 2017-10-08 17:38:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/77924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meddow/pseuds/Meddow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bill finds himself in the uneasy position of delivering a wedding invitation to the black sheep of the family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Familiar Debate

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies for this not being betaed.

"Hello Bill," came the greeting from Tom the publican of the Leaky Cauldron. Tom knew every witch and wizard that lived or worked in London and even quite a few who only came to London for the occasional shopping trip. He also seemed to know their business. Tom probably knew Fleur had said yes to Bill before even he had.

"Hi. Have you seen Percy?" Bill asked. Bill had said six but Percy was always early to everything. He would have a seat already, though Bill had not managed to spot him just yet.

"In the corner. I suppose you'll be wanting a drink."

"Not now," Bill replied.

Tom raised an eyebrow

"I'm taking Fleur out for dinner later." Tom smirked. Bill got that a lot these days. It seemed the whole of Britain was shocked he had settled down and he had no idea why. Bill knew of very few women in Britain that could honestly claim he had broken their hearts. "We'll stop here after and drink then."

Bill walked through the dark pub and found Percy sitting next to the window in a booth in a quiet corner of the pub, a glass of neat firewhiskey resting on a coaster by his hand. He did not smile at Bill as he approached.

Bill took a breath, readying himself for confrontation. "Hi."

"Hello," Percy replied, without animosity.

Deciding it was safe, Bill took off his coat and sat down. "You look well," he commented. In reality Percy looked much older than his twenty-one years. Though it was not the formal robes and not the glasses that created the effect, it was the air of weariness and arrogance he seemed to project from himself. Bill had never managed to work out if Percy did it on purpose.

"So do you," Percy answered. "How is Gringotts?"

"Well, the new safety measures they are putting in place are causing a lot of disruptions and a lot of headaches for me. But other than that, it's the usual."

"How is...," Bill contemplated asking about the Ministry, but it was such a controversial matter he decided not to touch it, "Penelope?"

Percy looked to his drink. "We broke up."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"It's alright. Ancient history now, anyway," Percy replied. He finished off the last of his whiskey.

A moments silence followed between them. Percy's revelation putting a negative spin on Bill's news but Bill knew he had to tell him. An engagement the rest of the world seemed to already know about was not something Bill could put off revealing. Percy needed to hear it now and from Bill. Him finding out by another method would only make matters worse.

"I proposed to Fleur two nights ago."

Percy looked up and frowned.

"And she said yes," Bill continued ,wondering how Percy would take it.

Percy reached out and slapped Bill on the arm weakly and smiled. "Well that's brilliant news."

Bill let out the cautious breath he had been holding and grinned with all the pride he had been feeling for the past two days behind it. "Yes, it is." He and Fleur were getting married and he could not be happier.

"This demands a drink," Percy stated.

"No. I couldn't," Bill started. He, his father and the twins had gotten rather plastered the night before drinking to happy marriages and the future of the Weasley family. But Percy had not been there in his rightful place getting toasted alongside them. "Oh, all right," he answered, deciding that he owed it to Percy. Fleur would not mind is he had one drink before meeting her.

Percy got up and returned soon after with two glasses of whiskey, placing one in front of Bill he raised his own.

"To you and Fleur."

Bill smiled and took a drink. Percy took a gulp, the size of which shocked Bill. He had never picked Percy for bring such a careless drinker.

"The wedding's going to be next August in France," Bill said, knowing he was not skirting the untouched issue.

Percy glanced out of the window. "I will try to make it."

Bill could not believe what he was hearing. This was his day and now Percy was going to ruin it. Bill decided that sensitivity to the conflict could go to hell. This was ridiculous. The Ministry had admitted You-Know-Who was alive, so why could Percy still not see reason?

"_Try_? I'm getting married. Surely you can put aside your differences with Dad for two minutes to be at my wedding."

Percy scoffed. "_My_ difference with _Dad_. It's not just him. And do you think this is about something trivial? When will the lot of you realise that running around playing freedom-fighter behind the Ministry's back is not a way to win a war. The existence of the Order is undoing all the good the Ministry is doing."

"What good? Fudge lied about the situation for a year. He mislead the people and his cronies tried to take over Hogwarts. If Fudge had the Aurors hunting You-Know-Who before the Azkiban breakout then maybe we wouldn't have had to add Bellatrix Lestrange and Dementors to the country's worries. "

"Yes, Fudge made a mistake..." Percy retorted

"A _mistake_?" Bill interrupted. Calling it a mistake was as good as label as calling the twins 'energetic'.

"...But Fudge had been replaced. And yet you all still insist on acting outside of the law," Percy continued, speaking over Bill.

"...It was a lot more than a mistake. It was a bloody cover up," Bill finished.

Percy glared at him. "What Britain needs to survive another war is a strong government. You vigilantes are fracturing the country. We can't have Aurors taking orders from Dumbledore and Scrimgeour or it will be chaos. Nobody will know what they are doing and who they are taking orders for and You-Know-Who will just be able to pick us all off in the meantime. What you, Mum and _especially_ Dad are doing is idiotic and irresponsible!"

"Who do you think won the first war. It wasn't the Ministry. It was through Dumbledore's efforts," Bill retorted.

"No. No," Percy interjected, his hands, one with his now-empty glass of whiskey in, flailing about the place to emphasize his rant "According to you lot it was Harry Potter who won the first war. Not only are you destroying the only real hope we have but you are putting all your faith in a teenager. To defeat the greatest threat that we have ever seen you are all relying on a child and luck!"

"That's more than the Ministry is doing. Even now everything is in the open you're not doing anything more then sending out useless pamphlets!" Bill replied, now raising his voice.

"We're doing our best. Our wheels may move slower but that's because we have to make sure everyone is safe. Make sure everyone's interests are protected. Which is more then you lot can say."

"You are spending too much time pandering to only certain interests. I bet the interests of people like werewolves aren't being protected and it's not slow Percy. It can't be slow when nothing is moving, it's stationary! This is the real world and while you run around getting approval nothing is getting done and You-Know-Who is just getting stronger."

Percy slammed his glass down on the tabletop so hard that Bill feared it would break. To his relief did not. "What the fuck do you know about the real world? You've spent the last five years with your head in a tomb and then you come back and preach to me about what this country needs to do? This is my area, Bill. Not yours."

Bill stood up. He would not be able to get Percy to see reason. "This is going nowhere," he said as he fished through his pockets and put a few Galleons on the table; enough to pay for the whiskey.

Percy sat back on his seat. "And what makes you any different from him. A small group of loyal followers who operate above the law and in secret. How is Dumbledore any different from You-Know-Who?" he said, having lowered his voice.

"Because he's Dumbledore!" Bill replied, raising his voice once again. Percy had just spent too much time listening to Fudge, Bill told himself in an attempt to calm himself down.

Percy let out a small laugh. "I'll take my imperfect Ministry over another potential tyrant any day of the week, thank you very much."

Bill could not believe what Percy was saying of Dumbledore.

"Fuck you," Bill whispered.

He took step away about to leave but he stopped himself. Bill could not leave Percy like this. Not with a war going on and Emmeline and Sirius, people he knew, amongst the dead. Bill turned around. "Goodbye Percy," he said, having forced the anger away from his voice.

"I hope you and Fleur have a long and happy marriage," Percy replied bitterly.

Bill had now had it. If Percy wanted to be alone, then he could be alone. Bill turned and walked away. He was about to reach the exit when he ran into Tom once more.

"It's not right, families split in current times," Tom commented.

"Well there's nothing that can be done," Bill replied with blatant irritation at Tom's meddling in his voice.

Tom looked over Bill's shoulder. "Well I've gotta go. Your Percy'll be wanting another whiskey."

Bill walked past him and out into the street, relieved to be out of the pub and away from his brother. As he put on his coat, Bill reassured himself that Percy would come around. He just needed time. By next August all will be well. He just needed faith.


End file.
